Thursday, June 07, 2007

Wheat Dreamer

My TAST sample this week is not very original but it has been a very interesting piece to do. First of all the background. Ken was cutting down a dead tree in the garden which was covered by the most gorgeous green lichens. Ignoring raised eyebrows and pitying looks I wrapped some pieces in wet calico and then in cling film and waited to see. I was delighted with the result and decided this would make the perfect background for the wheatear stitch. As I stitched I was carried back to childhood walks with my dog, watching the fields change from ploughed brown to gold. I don't usually add other stitches to my samples but I just had to add some poppies. Isn't it amazing how you can remember scents? The one I liked best was after the wheat had been cut, a mixture that I can't describe but I can smell it now. One of natures miracles of packaging, (like the egg and the pomegranate) one of the other things I liked to do with a ripe ear was take out the seeds, one by one, out of the little cup that holds them. Aagh simple pleasures!!!When I was researching my ancestors I found that many of them were agricultural workers and I tried to find out about the kind of life they would have had. For many families the gleanings of the wheat field would be all they had to keep them through the winter. Women and children would scour the fields picking up every grain that had been missed. A far cry from deciding whether to have white or wholegrain this week!! This article gives a very good description. Millet "The Gleaners" Courtesy Wikipedia.

Another interesting piece I came across (and gave me my title) was about the man who saved the farmers of Kansas by introducing new strains of wheat.Isn't it wonderful where a stitch can lead you. Thank you Sharon.

6 comments:

Pat this is great. It would look fantastic framed on a background of the sacking they used to use on the farm to put the wheat in. Hey, I had a flash of that remembered smell as I typed that - wonderful.

Thanks for this interesting post with its links. A print of Millet's "The Gleaners" hangs in my grandparents home. I love your stitched piece with the very interesting fabric that is a perfect background for this. Lovely!

Your heart must have been in this piece it really shows. Love the story I never knew what a gleaner was and I love learning about these kind of things. Have added the site to my favourites to read more. Thanks for sharing. Annette